Last updated 2026-07-11
TL;DR
Start with 5 to 10 high-motivation signs like 'more,' 'eat,' 'all done,' 'milk,' and 'help.' Sign every time you say the word, use hand-over-hand modeling when your toddler is calm, and expect first signs to appear within 4 to 8 weeks of consistent practice. Signing does not delay speech; research consistently shows it supports verbal development.
Does baby sign language actually work, or is it just a trend?
It works, and the evidence is pretty clear. A widely-cited 2000 randomized controlled trial by Acredolo, Goodwyn, and Horobin published in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior followed infants who were taught symbolic gestures. At age 2, signing babies had significantly larger vocabularies than non-signing controls, and by age 3 they scored higher on verbal IQ tests than both non-signing peers and the general norm [1].
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association notes that augmentative and alternative communication strategies, including manual signs, do not inhibit speech development and can support it [2]. The American Academy of Pediatrics says the same: gestures and pointing are recognized early communication milestones, and building on them is sound developmental practice [3].
That said, signing is not magic. It's a communication bridge. Some toddlers take to it immediately. Others use it rarely and prefer grunting or pulling your hand. Neither response means you're doing it wrong.
Here's the honest caveat. Most signing research studied infants who started at 6 to 9 months, not toddlers who are already 18 to 30 months old and may have speech concerns. The closest data suggests signing still reduces frustration behavior in older toddlers with language delays, but nobody has a large randomized trial specifically for that group. The mechanism makes sense though. You're giving a child a way to communicate before their motor speech system catches up.
When should you start teaching signs to a toddler?
You can start today. The infant research suggests earlier exposure leads to earlier first signs, but toddlers learn signs faster than infants do because their fine motor skills and imitation abilities are further along [1]. A 15-month-old who hasn't said a single word can often produce a recognizable sign within one to three weeks if the motivation is high enough.
If your child is between 12 and 24 months and has fewer than a handful of words, signing is one of the most practical things you can do right now, before a speech therapy evaluation appointment even happens. Early intervention services typically begin around 18 months for language delays, but there's no reason to wait to start signing [4].
If your child is 2 or older and already has some words, signing still helps. Pair signs with words your child already uses to strengthen the link between meaning and symbol, or introduce signs for things your child wants but can't yet say.
One thing to watch. If your toddler is not yet making eye contact consistently, or is not imitating actions at all, hand-over-hand practice and environmental reinforcement matter more than expecting spontaneous imitation. That's not a failure point. It just means your approach needs to adjust.
Which signs should you teach first?
Pick signs your child actually wants to communicate. That's the whole framework. Motivation drives acquisition.
The most useful first signs are tied to things that happen many times a day and where your child has strong feelings about the outcome. Here's a starter set that earns its keep:
| Sign | Why it's high-priority |
|---|---|
| More | Applies to food, play, books, anything. Stops most dinnertime meltdowns. |
| All done / Finished | Gives your child control over stopping an activity. |
| Eat / Food | Used constantly, easy to produce. |
| Milk / Drink | Covers the most common drink request. |
| Help | Reduces frustration when your child can't do something. |
| Please | Pairs naturally with requests. |
| No | Especially useful for kids who bite or hit to protest. |
| More sleep / Bed | Useful for overtired children who can't say it. |
| Hurt / Pain | Matters most for nonverbal or minimally verbal kids. |
| Open | Doors, containers, apps, anything. |
Don't teach 20 signs at once. Pick three. Use those three relentlessly for two weeks, then add more once they're showing up consistently.
For toddlers with autism or suspected autism, lean toward functional and regulatory signs first: 'help,' 'stop,' 'break,' 'want.' These map onto the communication functions that tend to be hardest and that make the biggest difference for behavior [5].
How do you actually teach a sign? A step-by-step method
The method is simpler than most books make it sound.
Step one is pairing. Every single time you say the word, make the sign. Every time. 'More?' (sign more). 'Do you want more?' (sign more). 'More crackers?' (sign more). You're building an association between the word, the sign, and the object or event. This takes repetition, not perfection.
Step two is modeling during naturally occurring moments. Don't sit your toddler down for 'sign practice.' That's not how toddlers learn language. Use snack time, bath time, book time, play time. The sign should always appear in context, at the exact moment the thing it refers to is present.
Step three is hand-over-hand prompting, used sparingly. When your child reaches for something and you see an opening, gently take their hands, form the sign with their fingers, and immediately give them what they were reaching for. Pair it with the spoken word. Then pause and wait. Do this once or twice, not five times in a row. Repeated physical prompting without a response gap doesn't teach communication. It teaches compliance.
Step four is the pause. After you model a sign, stop talking. Wait 5 to 10 seconds with an expectant face. This is the hardest part for parents. That silence is not awkward. It's an invitation. Your child's brain is processing. Let it.
Step five is rewarding any approximation immediately. Your toddler's first 'more' sign might look like two fists banging together instead of fingertips touching. It counts. Respond to it as if it's a perfect sign. Shape it over time, not on the first attempt.
Consistency across caregivers matters a lot. If grandma doesn't sign, she doesn't have to, but the more people using signs in context, the faster your child picks them up. Share a one-page cheat sheet with the five signs you're working on.
How long does it take for a toddler to learn their first sign?
For a neurotypical toddler who is simply late to talk, most families see a first intentional sign within 2 to 6 weeks of consistent twice-daily practice. Some kids produce a sign within days. Others take two to three months.
For a toddler with autism, apraxia, or significant motor coordination differences, the timeline is longer and less predictable. Motor planning is a real variable here. Some kids understand the sign perfectly but can't coordinate the hand movement to produce it. If you're seeing understanding without production after 6 to 8 weeks of steady practice, bring that to your speech-language pathologist. It's useful clinical data, not a failure [6].
Signs also go through a generalization phase. Your child might sign 'more' only at the highchair for weeks, then suddenly use it everywhere. That's normal. Generalization takes time and needs exposure across settings.
One honest note on expectations. Some toddlers use signs for a few months and then drop them entirely once verbal speech takes off. That's fine. Signs were the bridge, and the bridge did its job.
What sign language system should you use: ASL, Makaton, or something else?
For most families in the United States, American Sign Language (ASL) is the practical default. The signs are real, they're used by a large community, and if your child's speech keeps developing slowly, the vocabulary carries over if they ever interact with the Deaf community or learn more formal ASL [7].
Makaton is a simplified sign vocabulary developed in the UK for people with communication difficulties. It uses a subset of signs from a country's national sign language, paired with speech and symbols. It's widely used in British early intervention and autism programs. In the US, it's available but less common.
Signed Exact English (SEE) maps signs to English word order and grammar rather than ASL grammar. Some speech therapists prefer it for kids learning to read and write English because the structure mirrors spoken English directly.
For home use with a toddler, the distinction matters less than consistency. Pick one system and stick with it. Don't mix ASL 'more' with a made-up gesture for 'eat.' Your child needs to see the same form reliably to acquire it.
If your child is working with a speech therapist or early intervention team, ask which system they use so your home practice matches therapy. That alignment makes a real difference in how fast signs generalize.
Will signing delay my toddler's speech?
No. This worry is common and the research does not support it.
The Acredolo and Goodwyn study found signing babies ended up with larger spoken vocabularies than non-signing peers, not smaller ones [1]. The proposed mechanism is that signs reduce communication frustration, which keeps the child engaged and motivated to communicate, which leads to more language exposure overall.
ASHA's position is that AAC and manual signing do not suppress verbal speech and should not be withheld while waiting to see if speech develops [2]. In practice, many speech therapists introduce signs specifically to stimulate verbal output, using a technique called aided language stimulation where the adult signs while speaking and then waits for any form of communication in return.
There is one nuance worth knowing. If signing works so well that your child gets everything they need through signs with no pressure to try words, some therapists will nudge the child toward verbal attempts by slightly raising the bar: accepting the sign but also modeling the word and waiting before handing over the item. That's a therapy strategy, not a reason to avoid signing at home.
If you're worried about speech development specifically, the right move is a speech-language pathology evaluation, not dropping signs. See speech therapy speech therapist for what to expect from that process.
How does signing fit into speech therapy for toddlers with autism or apraxia?
Signing is a common tool in both contexts, but the way it's used differs.
For toddlers with autism, signing usually comes in as part of a broader AAC strategy. The goal is functional communication: helping the child request, protest, comment, and respond. Many autism-focused speech therapy programs (PECS, EIBI, JASPER) use gestures and signs as stepping stones. If your child is not yet talking and shows any sign of autism, bring signing into your daily routines immediately and connect with early intervention services in your state. For more on the speech-specific picture, autism spectrum speech therapy covers evaluation and treatment options in detail.
For toddlers with childhood apraxia of speech, the picture is trickier. Apraxia is a motor planning disorder, which means producing any deliberate movement sequence, including signs, can be hard [8]. Many kids with apraxia can still learn signs, especially signs that use gross hand shapes rather than fine finger differentiation, but they may need more hand-over-hand support and more time. If your child is suspected to have apraxia, a certified speech-language pathologist (CCC-SLP) should guide your signing approach. See childhood apraxia of speech for a full explainer.
For kids who may need a bigger communication system long-term, signs are often one layer of a multimodal AAC plan that might also include a speech-generating device or picture board. AAC devices covers what that looks like in practice.
What common mistakes do parents make when teaching signs?
The biggest one: handing over the item before the child signs. If your toddler reaches for crackers and you sign 'more' while giving them over without any communicative response from the child, you've practiced a behavior but not taught a sign. The sign has to come before getting the thing. Even a one-second pause and an expectant look counts.
The second common mistake is teaching too many signs at once. Three signs used a hundred times each beats twenty signs used five times each. Depth of practice beats breadth, especially in the first two months.
Third: only signing at one time of day. 'We do signs at snack time' is not enough. Signs need to appear across activities, locations, and people for your toddler's brain to treat them as real communication tools rather than snack-room behaviors.
Fourth: stopping too soon. Four days of signing 'more' and then concluding 'it's not working' is not a fair trial. Language acquisition, verbal or gestural, takes weeks to months.
Fifth: correcting the sign instead of responding to the intent. If your toddler produces an approximation and you say 'No, like this' and reshape their hand before giving them what they wanted, you've made communication corrective and slightly unpleasant. Respond first. Shape the motor form over time.
If you want a structured way to practice language targets daily, the Little Words app (/start quiz) has guided routines built around naturalistic language modeling that pair well with signing practice at home.
How do you know when to get a speech therapy evaluation instead of just signing more?
Signing is a tool to use while you're figuring this out, not instead of figuring it out.
The AAP recommends a formal speech and language evaluation if your child has no words by 12 months, fewer than 50 words by 24 months, is not combining two words by 24 months, or loses language skills at any age [3]. Those benchmarks apply no matter how well a child is signing.
If your 18-month-old is signing 'more' and 'eat' but has zero spoken words, that warrants evaluation, not reassurance. Signing shows cognitive and communicative intent, which is great information. But absence of speech at expected milestones is a reason to get a professional involved, not a problem that signs alone will solve.
Your state's early intervention program (Part C of IDEA for birth to 3, Part B for 3 to 5) provides free evaluations for children under 3 suspected of developmental delays [4]. You do not need a pediatrician's referral to request one, though getting one can move the process faster.
Speech-language pathologists with the CCC-SLP credential from ASHA are the right professionals for this evaluation. Find one through ASHA's ProFind directory at asha.org.
If you can't get an appointment quickly, online speech therapy has expanded a lot and may have shorter wait times.
The Little Words app also has a short quiz (/start quiz) that can help you map your child's communication profile and figure out the next step while you wait for services.
How do you keep toddlers engaged in signing practice without it feeling like a drill?
Short answer: don't drill. Toddlers don't learn language through repetitive table exercises. They learn it in real life, during real interactions, around real things they care about.
Embed signs in play. If your child loves trains, sign 'more' every time you add a car to the track. Sign 'stop' and 'go' during chase games. Sign 'help' when a block tower is too high to reach. Sign 'all done' at cleanup time. The sign should feel like a natural part of the activity, not a detour from it.
Books are excellent. Slow down during favorite books and sign key words as you say them. Your toddler will start anticipating the sign, which is its own form of comprehension practice.
Singing and signing together is powerful. Many kids who resist imitation during neutral interactions will copy hand movements during a familiar song. 'Wheels on the Bus,' 'Twinkle Twinkle,' and 'Old MacDonald' all have ASL-adjacent signs that work well.
Video is not a substitute. Signing apps and videos can teach signs to parents, which is fine. But the research is consistent that toddlers don't learn language from screens the way they learn from live human interaction. Use video to learn the sign yourself, then teach it in person [9].
Aim for five to ten meaningful signing moments a day. That's it. Consistent, embedded, motivated practice beats any structured program.
Frequently asked questions
What age is too late to start baby sign language?
There's no age that's too late to benefit from signing, though calling it 'baby' sign language at age 4 is just semantics. For toddlers who are verbal but have gaps, signs can still fill in missing words. For older kids with autism or significant language delays, signs and other AAC strategies stay valid and useful throughout childhood. The sooner you start, the more communication runway you create.
How many signs should a toddler know at 18 months?
There's no established norm for signed vocabulary because most milestone research tracks spoken words. Developmentally, an 18-month-old is expected to have 5 to 10 words (spoken or signed combined in some frameworks). If signing is your child's main communication mode, tracking total communicative vocabulary, words plus signs, gives a more accurate picture of language development than counting words alone.
Can signing help a toddler who has tantrums because they can't communicate?
Yes, and this is one of the most well-documented practical benefits. Tantrums driven by communication frustration, not having the words to express a want, need, or protest, often drop sharply once the child has even a few reliable signs. 'Help,' 'stop,' 'more,' and 'all done' cover a surprising share of frustration-driven meltdowns. Most families notice a change within three to six weeks of consistent use.
Do I need to know ASL to teach my toddler signs?
No. You need to know the handful of signs you're actively teaching. Free resources, including the ASL dictionary at lifeprint.com and short videos on YouTube, are enough to learn the motor form for twenty to thirty common toddler signs. You're not learning a language yourself; you're learning specific gestures. Focus on accuracy for the signs you use most so your child sees a consistent form.
Should I sign with a toddler who already has some spoken words?
Yes. Signing alongside words your child already says strengthens the link between meaning and symbol. It also gives your child a fallback when their verbal output fails under stress or fatigue. Many partially verbal toddlers will use a sign in noisy or overwhelming environments where their spoken word doesn't come out clearly. Signs and words work together, not against each other.
My toddler understands signs but won't produce them. What should I do?
Comprehension before production is normal. Keep modeling without requiring production. Try reducing the motor complexity of the signs you're using, since some require finer finger differentiation than others. Try hand-over-hand prompting once or twice per session in calm moments, but don't make it a demand. If comprehension is present but production is absent after 8 to 10 weeks, mention this pattern to a speech-language pathologist; it can be a clue about motor planning difficulties.
Is there a difference between signs for autism versus signs for speech delay?
The signs themselves are the same. The teaching approach may differ. For autistic toddlers who struggle with social attention or imitation, you may need more hand-over-hand prompting, positioning yourself in the child's visual field rather than facing them, and heavier pairing of signs with preferred items or sensory experiences. For late talkers without autism, incidental modeling during play is usually enough to get things moving.
What's the difference between baby sign language and AAC?
Baby sign language means using a small set of manual signs with infants and toddlers to support early communication. AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) is a broader category that includes manual signs, picture boards, speech-generating devices, and communication apps. Signs are one form of unaided AAC. If your child needs more than a handful of signs long-term, a speech therapist can assess whether a fuller AAC system makes sense.
Will my child's daycare or preschool use signs with them?
Many do, especially programs that serve children with IEPs or language delays. Ask the director. Even if the classroom doesn't use formal signs, you can give teachers a one-page reference with the five to eight signs your child uses at home. Most teachers are happy to use them during snack, transition, and circle time. Consistency across settings speeds acquisition significantly.
How do I know if a sign is working versus my toddler just making random hand movements?
Look for three things: consistency (the same hand shape in the same context repeatedly), eye contact or orientation toward you around the time of the movement, and a functional outcome the child is after, like reaching toward food while signing. A true communicative sign has intent behind it. Random hand flapping or stimming looks different: it's repetitive without the contextual pairing and usually without the social orientation.
My toddler stopped signing after starting to talk. Is that a problem?
Almost certainly not. This is the expected path. Signs are a bridge, and once spoken words are working reliably, most children drop the signs naturally because speech is faster and more socially rewarded. Some kids keep a few signs for emphasis or noisy rooms. If the drop in signing comes with a drop in overall communication attempts, that's worth mentioning to a pediatrician, but signing-to-talking transitions are usually a sign of progress.
Can I use made-up gestures instead of real ASL signs?
You can, and your child will learn them if you're consistent. The downside is that made-up gestures don't transfer to anyone outside your household. Real ASL signs, even if approximated, give your child a foundation that works with therapists, teachers, and eventually the broader community. If you ever need a formal AAC evaluation, having real signs in place makes that assessment easier.
Sources
- Acredolo L, Goodwyn S, Horobin K. Symbolic gesturing in normal development. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 2000.: Signing babies had significantly larger spoken vocabularies at age 2 and higher verbal IQ scores at age 3 compared to non-signing controls.
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), AAC Practice Portal: AAC and manual signs do not inhibit speech development and should not be withheld while waiting for speech to emerge.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, Developmental Surveillance and Screening: Gestures and pointing are recognized early communication milestones; AAP recommends evaluation if a child has no words by 12 months or fewer than 50 words by 24 months.
- U.S. Department of Education, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part C: Part C of IDEA provides free evaluations and early intervention services for children under age 3 with suspected developmental delays; parents can self-refer.
- National Autism Center, National Standards Project: Functional communication training including manual signs is an established practice for reducing challenging behavior in autistic children.
- Kasari C et al. Language outcome in autism: randomized comparison of joint attention and play interventions. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2008.: Motor planning variability and imitation deficits affect the rate at which autistic toddlers acquire gestural communication.
- National Association of the Deaf, American Sign Language: American Sign Language is a complete, natural language used by the Deaf community in the United States and much of Canada.
- Apraxia Kids, What is Childhood Apraxia of Speech?: Childhood apraxia of speech is a motor planning disorder that can affect the ability to produce voluntary movement sequences, including gestural signs.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, Media and Young Minds (Council on Communications and Media), Pediatrics 2016: Toddlers do not learn language from screens the way they learn from live human interaction; video is not a substitute for in-person language modeling.
- Millar DC, Light JC, Schlosser RW. The impact of augmentative and alternative communication intervention on the speech production of individuals with developmental disabilities. Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, 2006.: AAC intervention, including manual signing, does not inhibit and in many cases improves speech production outcomes in children with developmental disabilities.
- CDC, Learn the Signs. Act Early. Developmental Milestones: CDC milestone checklists include gesture and pointing milestones as tracked communication behaviors from 9 months onward.